In light of the presidential election, the topic of diversity is more salient than ever. Elect a black man or, possibly, a woman for president? Fast Company partially tackled the issue in its cover story on the brand of Obama. This particular passage got me thinking:
“… With census data projecting that 40% of Americans will be nonwhite by 2010, businessleaders who are charged with inspiring and attracting the best talent and satisfying an increasingly diverse pool of shareholders may soon find that diversity is a business imperative.”
Diversity as a business imperative – if that’s your aim, just how do you become more diverse?
I’ve been around the block just long enough now that I’ve had the opportunity to get involved in the kickoff of several diversity initiatives with several different organizations. And I can’t say I’ve necessarily loved ‘em. I don’t get gung-ho when people start talking about wanting to get some more diversity in the door – as a matter of fact, I want to run and hide as soon as the discussion starts. But before you get on my case and start screaming about equal opportunity and whatnot, be forewarned: I’m a minority. And it’s not because I don’t think diversity is important or that I’d like to be surrounded by a workforce that is homogeneous… just hear me out on this one.
I’ve heard way too many times, at the kick off for diversity initiatives, the following question: “Where are we advertising our jobs?” As if the starting place for hiring more diverse candidates is to begin placing advertisements in newspapers or on websites that are targeted at minority groups. It’s at this point that I begin rolling my eyes, because advertisements are simply not enough. In fact, I kind of take offense to the fact that you think you can place an ad in my local Korean newspaper and think that this gesture is going to be enough to attract me. You’ve ignored me and my people all these years and didn’t give a damn about diversifying until now… and you think placing an ad is going to make the difference? It’s a weak attempt to reach out.
In order to be successful and lasting, diversity initiatives and outreach take a lot of work. It’s not something you can put a band-aid on and expect the problem to be fixed overnight. The environment has to be conditioned and reconditioned. You’re going to have to employ some really strategic and targeted retention tactics for your existing minority staff. There has to be the right amount of cultural sensitivity in place with non-minority staff. And recruiting efforts have to start at the grassroots level, particularly if minorities aren’t interested in or haven’t considered your industry. Placing ads is not enough.
Diversity as a business imperative – that’s a fair reason for wanting to mix your workforce up a bit. But if you’re not willing to put in the sweat equity to make it happen, then get ready to keep receiving the same ‘ole, same ‘ole job applicants.
Recently I came across a research paper that said of diversity in the hiring process: companies that strive for diversity in their applicants fare better than those companies that do not emphasize diversity in their hiring process, while companies that strive for diversity in their (actual) new hires fare worse.
It’s clearly a very nuanced issue, anyway. Business leaders would be wise, I think, to be skeptical of any one-size-fits-all diversity solutions. What angle of diversity is critical in your company (race, gender, political affiliation) may be completely different from the angle that is most productive in my company. In both cases, we may greatly benefit from increased diversity among our employees, but perhaps not if we followed the other’s diversity plan.
Some of the best millenial talent is coming from underpriveliged and underserved minority populations. I know this first hand because I work for an organization that specializes in helping this population get into college and then into the workforce. Many of the complaints about millenials having problems with entitlement attitudes are not relevant with the population I serve. Our young adults have to work for everything they get, and therefore have an outstanding work ethic and a great sense of gratitude.
One excellent way to increase diversity at the entry level is to partner with an organization like mine. As part of our services, we have a summer internship program. In it, we place our college students in internships involving their area of interest. As an internship potentially being a temp-to-hire recruitment strategy, an organization can recruit minority students who are often case-managed and supported by the partnering non-profit, and thus have another means of increasing workplace diversity. So many of our students are hidden gems who only need a little bit of corporate exposure to truly shine.